


Brain Freeze

by CondensationOnGlass



Series: Tumblr Prompts- Voltron: Legendary Defender [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Delirium, Delusions, Fever, Gen, Lance whump, Sick Lance, Sick!Lance, Sickfic, Whump, they/them pronouns for Pidge, written as platonic but if u wanna shit u ship friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 23:05:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12352383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CondensationOnGlass/pseuds/CondensationOnGlass
Summary: Tumblr prompt fic!"taylor-tut said: YASS prompt time! How about some feverish Lance who has ridiculous chills and is complaining all through debriefing, irritating everyone else. As soon as debriefing is over, Pidge goes back to her room. Lance knocks on her door shivering and delirious outside her room, hoping that she might have a heated blanket. "What the prompt says, the title- well I don't know why either.





	Brain Freeze

**Author's Note:**

> @ambulancemcclain.tumblr.com made some amazing doodles off this fic that made my friggin day!! They are amazing af and you should look at that art and check out the whole blog while you're at it!
> 
> https://ambulancemcclain.tumblr.com/post/166348767112/random-doodlezzz-based-on-feverhalos-cute-af

“And now we’ve got that trading route back open for them, they’re more than willing to spread the word of Voltron around. It was a pretty simple fare.” Keith shrugged as he wrapped up his comment.

“Yeah, straight forward and everything-” Lance shuddered, “Can we be done now, please? I’m freezing. Still. Still freezing.”

“Yeah, Lance, we know.” Hunk sighed. "I’m sorry man, I just don’t think it was that simple. That seems fishy to me.“

"It was that simple. I really don’t know why you think is wasn’t,” Keith crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Allura paced at the head of the table and tapped her chin.

“I think Hunk may be right,” Lance groaned out loud. Allura shot him a glare and continued on, “It wouldn’t make sense for them to send that level of distress signal for what sounds like it ended up being a construction job. It doesn’t make sense, they had the technology to do so themselves.”

“Its almost like it was a hijacked signal, or like someone told them to downplay it.” Pidge pulled out a sheet of paper and started drawing a hurried map out. Lance had another shiver rip through him and clenched his teeth together to try and quiet the chattering. He still leaned over to watch Pidge draw out their idea even though he wanted to walk out and curl up under every blanket he could find.

“The original signal came from here, right? And we were led all the way over here, to unplug a mountain hole-”

“Excavate,” Hunk provided.

“Right, to excavate. But you said the signal level was like, what a level 3? Which was something like political kidnapping or unrest or something. Its almost like this was a distraction.”

“Dis-di-distraction, huh?” Lance stuttered out, “Distrac-actions suck, h-huh?”

“Be more subtle, why don’t you.” Keith rolled his eyes again. Lance put his head down and groaned. His leg shook of its own accord, and the headache he had been trying to push out of his awareness bloomed to full force again.

“Give it a rest, all of you. I’m with Keith, it seemed straightforward to me. But, Hunk, you may be on to something there. I’m thinking we make some space, but keep tuned in on the area, just to see if anything crops up again, and in a day or two make a surprise visit. If it was straight forward, then no harm no foul- but if something more sinister is going on we can surprise them before they can suppress the issue from us.” Shiro cut in.

“I’ll look at the data logs and see if I can pinpoint anything else that seems off. Maybe look into more of the geography of the area. Hunk, do you think you could help me make something to figure it out? Kind of like an internet tracer, see if they’ve got something to mask anything else or maybe crossed wires somewhere?”

“Yeah, sure- though you even said the original signal came from somewhere else…”

“I’m not helpf-ful with this part, can I go? Seriously, I n-need a h-h-h-hot shower or something. I really d-don’t feel good.” Lance asked over Hunk and Pidge’s side conversation.

“Just,” Shiro sighed, “Can you wait another fifteen minutes Lance? We’re almost done.”

“You said that half an hou-” Lance faltered as he shuddered with such a force he nearly bit his tongue. “Half an hour ago.”

“Okay, go warm up. Make sure you take some medicine, alright?” Lance nodded sloppily before he left the others to continue debriefing.

 

Forty minutes later, Lance heard Pidge’s door open and shut from where he curled himself up in a corner with three thick blankets and every sweater he owned. He still shook with the chill settled over him. Even his breath was shuddering with the force of them.

His head was swimming, but he knew he’d freeze to death if he didn’t get something more. It was way too cold on this planet. It had to be where they parked the castle- the cold seeped in and coated everything with a biting layer of ice. He should have kept his armor on, it would regulate it, but he forgot where he left it after getting back.

Lance dragged himself to standing despite the trembling and shuffled himself across the floor. The cold bit through his sock and he lamented the loss of his other slipper under the bed. It was gone now, he couldn’t get it wrapped up as much as he was. He blinked his eyes open as wide as he could to clear the dark spots that cropped up when he stood. He needed to be able to watch for any patches of slick ice. So far it seemed to have enough texture to it that he didn’t slip, but it was still getting colder.

He leaned against the wall as he shuffled to Pidge’s door. It wasn’t far to walk, but it exhausted Lance so fully he was nearly ready to sit on the floor. He knocked on the metal door with a hand fisted in blankets. It was muffled, but did the job as it slid to the side to show Pidge.

“Lance? G-”

“P-pidge! You need t-to put your armor back on!” Lance gaped, Pidge had changed out of the protection of the armor into their cargo shorts and a t-shirt. Lance’s heart raced, they’d freeze. Pidge was going to get frost bite if they didn’t put something warm on soon.

“What? Did Allura call everyone again? I didn’t hear- wow Lance, are you okay?” Pidge frowned and leaned in close. They stared up at Lance’s pallid face, taking in the dark shadows around his eyes and the contrasting red high on his cheeks. “You look like hell.”

“Do you have a heat-heated blanket?” Lance slowly closed his eyes and held them shut. Here he was asking for another blanket, and Pidge was running around in shorts. “Y-you should use it. Something’s wrong with the castle- all the cold is getting in.”

“Cold getting in?” Pidge pulled on Lance’s arm. They tugged at him to bring him inside to sit down on the bed. He was shaking so hard it looked like he’d fall over. “I have one, wait here, okay?”

“I’ll share. I-” Lance swallowed hard. He was getting a lump in his throat- this was too much to ask. He should be fine with his blankets. Pidge was so much smaller and would lose more heat than him. “Well, I mean its yours, so if you’re okay with taking-”

“Stop talking, Lance.” He opened his eyes to see Pidge standing there with a stiff looking bundle of fabric with a long white cord, and a thermometer in their hand. “I’ll plug it in, but it needs a minute to warm up.”

“Thank you-!” Lance’s eyes watered. It stung and made the lump in his throat so much harder to talk around.

“Its no problem,” Pidge’s voice softened and they put their hand on the top of Lance’s head as they walked by to plug in the blanket. They stepped up onto the bed and sat cross-legged beside lance and fiddled with the cover of the thermometer. “Why is the castle broken?”

“The c-cold of outside is getting in. All that snow is probably in the airlock now.” Lance sniffled back his tears. A few still ran hot tracks down his face. Pidge leaned forward and tucked Lance’s hair behind his ear while he talked, “You- snnf - its so cold, you’ll get frostbite.”

“One sec, I’m going to put this in your ear, okay?” Lance’d breath shuddered with another strong chill, but he nodded all the same. He crinkled his nose at the weird sensation of the plastic probe in his ear, but Pidge’s hand smoothed his hair and their thumb kept up a constant, comforting rub just behind his ear. The short beep of the device starting seemed too loud, but Lance sat as still as he could.

After a minute, it trilled three beeps in quick succession and Pidge pulled it out to look at it. The blanket gave a beep as well, and with a distracted hand Pidge picked it up and passed it over to Lance. Pidge bit their thumb nail; the thermometer read Lance’s temperature at 103.5 and they had a hard time deciding on the right call to make.

“Shit, Lance,” Pidge’s voice broke and Lance looked at them. He tried to figure out why they looked so sad. 

“The castle is broken?” His heart sank, that had to be why.

“No, the castle is okay. I think I need to go get Shiro, will you stay here?” Lance spun his head around so fast Pidge expected to hear a crack.

“You can’t! Its too cold.” His eyes were so wide Pidge leaned back in shock. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t, I promise. Shiro can help fix it.” Not a lie, he had more experience at this sort of thing. Lance was shaking the blankets until he freed a hand. He grabbed onto Pidge’s arm with a hand so unbelievably warm. They looked at him, and his eyes were practically spilling over again.

“Give me two minutes, okay? I’ll stay, I want to get you something to drink. I’m just going to my bathroom, okay?” Lance nodded, but Pidge still had to give a good tug to get their arm free. They came back with a cup of water and some of the painkillers they had stocked up. Chemically ibiprophen, called something they couldn’t pronounce, and branded under another planet’s language. “Here, drink it and take these, it’ll help. You’re going to get sore from shaking so much.”

“P-pidge,” Lance shut his eyes while he tried to regain his composure. He felt so stressed. “Okay, thank you.”

Pidge watched him take the medicine and he drank the whole cup without needing them to prod at him. Pidge really hoped he hadn’t taken any earlier, but if he had it hadn’t worked.

“Oh! You’re going to get too cold, Pidge-” Lance whined. He struggled with his blankets, trying to free one to give to Pidge.

“I’ll be ok Lance, I’m not cold. See,” they made Lance touch their arm to try and ease his worry. Lance shuddered again, though Pidge couldn’t tell if it was the fever or emotions he was fighting with. “You gonna be okay?”

“I’d feel better if I knew you won’t freeze. Did you call Shiro? You said he’d fix the castle.” Lance’s eyes drooped. He was still wracked with shivers, but all the worry and activity caught up and his energy flagged.

“I’ll text him.” Pidge leaned back against the wall on their bed beside Lance. They typed out a quick message. ’Lance is really sick, thinks the castle broke. Pls come help, he needs you to ‘fix’ it.’ Pidge let out a breath, and Lance leaned back on the wall with them. “Here.”

Lance looked over, slowly, and saw Pidge with their arm held out. He started with a panic, before recalling what Pidge said. Shiro was going to fix it. They weren’t cold yet. It would be okay.

“Do you wan’t this now?” His voice was less halting and stuttered now, the warmth had finally sunk into his bones and fought off some of the chill and the fatigue had started to overpower him. He still shook, but not nearly as violently.

“No, you keep that. Lean on me, it’ll help you warm up.”

“And keep you warm too.” Lance sniffled again. Pidge rolled their eyes, but it was lost on Lance who flopped into Pidge’s shoulder. Pidge pushed the blankets down off of Lance’s shoulder and rubbed their hand up and down his feverish arm- the heat even seeping through the layers of sweaters he had on. He laid on their shoulder and tried to fight off the exhaustion. Pidge felt him tense and relax in intervals and switched to running a hand through his hair to keep him relaxed until he dropped off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**


End file.
